


It's okay to be scared Max

by Imin_alot_offandoms69



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abusive Neil Hargrove, Adopted Children, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, F/F, Gay Will Byers, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lesbian Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lesbian Robin Buckley, M/M, Maxine "Max" Mayfield & Mike Wheeler Friendship, Maxine "Max" Mayfield Needs a Hug, Neil Hargrove Being an Asshole, Neil Hargrove is His Own Warning, Neil Hargrove's A+ Parenting, Pansexual Eleven | Jane Hopper, Protective Dustin Henderson, Protective Eleven | Jane Hopper, Protective Jim "Chief" Hopper, Protective Joyce Byers, Protective Lucas Sinclair, Protective Mike Wheeler, Protective Steve Harrington, Protective Will Byers, Self-Harm, Steve Harrington & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Have a Sibling Relationship, Supportive Joyce Byers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27931360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imin_alot_offandoms69/pseuds/Imin_alot_offandoms69
Summary: They needed to protect their zoomer.OR;The party realizes just how scared Max is.- S
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Mayfield & The Party, Steve Harrington & Maxine "Max" Mayfield
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

Steve was already having enough. The six kids in his car were annoying enough as it is, and now he needed to bring Robin! This day couldn't get any worse could it. 

Ok never mind it can get a lot worse. First they went to the gas station for gas and all the kids wanted snacked which Steve ended up paying for. Then once they left Robin needed to use the bathroom because she just wanted to make Steve's life harder. He drove to the nearest fast food restaurant in town and let her go there. Steve look at the six kids in the back. "Once we get to the doctors, your all using the bathroom ok?" All the kids nodded at him. 

It was approaching flu season in hawkins and all the kids were due for a flu shot. Hopper couldn't take El, as he was too busy being the chief of police; Dustin's mom was pet sitting; Lucas' parents were stuck at work; Nancy was working; Johnathan was also working; and well Max had no one. 

Robin got back into the car as Steve drove to the doctors office. Everyone got out of the car and ran inside quickly. Steve signed them all in as Robin counted to make sure everyone was there. One of the nurses called them in. 

The doctor walked into the room smiling at the six kids. "Alright who's first?" A nurse walked in carying a tray with six shots and bandaids. Mike sat on the table and lifted his sleeve. The doctor quickly gave him the shot and put the bandaid on. 

When Will was getting his shot, Steve looked over at Max. He noticed that the redhead was shaking and was paler than usual. He lightly tapped Robin's shoulder and pointed at the shaking girl. The girl looked up from her magazine and walked over to Max. She put her hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok sweetie? You don't look good," Max looked up at the older girl and wrapped her shaking hands around her waist. "Ok so Max your up!" The doctor said cheerfully. Max shook her head quickly letting out a quiet sob into Robin's chest. 

Steve looked from Robin to the worried kids to the doctor, "could you just give us a minute?" The doctor nodded and stepped out of the room. Everyones eyes were now on the smaller redhead. "Max? What's wrong," Robin stroked the shorter girls hair. "I-I don't like needles," she finally pulled away from the hug and wiped at her eyes. "Billy was always the one that took me. He always found a way to make me feel better," Steve ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. 

"Max please get up on the bed!" Its been ten minutes since the group found out Max was afraid of needles. All the kids were surrounding her, trying to find different ways to get her onto the table. Steve pushed past the five kids and easily picked her up, wincing at how light she was. Her little kicks and punches hurt, but it was worth it. He held the girls smaller hand in his, "Max it's gonna be ok. We're all right here and after this maybe we could get ice cream." The blue-eyed girl looked up at him. That small action reminded Steve that she was just a fourteen year old girl who has gone through hell and back. 

The doctor came back into the room with that cheerful smile of hers, "you ready?" Max looked at Steve who nodded at her. "Yeah." 

...........................................................................................................

As promised, Steve took them out for ice cream. He then took them to the park to let them eat said ice cream, when a boy around two years older then the kids walked up to Max. "Max?" The redhead spun around quickly. "John?! What are you doing in Hawkins?" Steve could see the fear in the girls eyes, and stood behind her protectiveness. The boy, John, smiled and scratched the back of his neck, "our moms were talking. Mom wants to move from cali so your mom recommended Hawkins. We might stay." 

Something about the boys tone was a little unsettling to Robin. Who was this boy? Why does Max look scared? Is she scared of him? How does she know him? Wait they may have gone to school together, so scratch that one off the list. Were the two friends or more? 

"So Max, who's this?" The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a butter knife. "Oh! Sorry guys this is John, he and Billy use to be friends," Max was acting weird. Everyone knew Max wasn't friendly like this. You'd have to be new to town if you didn't. Max wrapped her arms around John's neck, giving him the most uncomfortable hug in history of hugs. He hugged back, his hand immediately going to squeeze her ass. 

Steve saw it. Robin saw. Dustin saw. I'm pretty sure everyone one saw. Max tended up so quickly, pulling away from the hug. Tears filled her blue eyes and she looked to her confused and concerned friends. "You know," she turned back to John, "I never got to give you something when I left." John licked his lips and smiled, thinking he knew what she was talking about. 

He didn't. 

She smacked him across the face. It was hard. And loud. He knew it was coming. He knew he deserved it. Knew he deserved worse for taking a childs innocence away. "I'm sorry. After Billy, well you probably know what he did, I wanted to apologize. Believe me I did but you guys already left and I didn't know what to do!" Robin finally understood what had happened between the two. "I WAS TWELVE ASSHOLE!" Max punched him in the stomach, anger flying out of her. Steve grabbed the screaming girl, not wanting anything else to go wrong. 

So many things can go wrong. Steve learned many, many things today. First thing, don't grab a girl when shes screaming at someone. Second, maybe the Hargrove-Mayfield family did move here because of Max. Because something happened to her. Third, and final, don't forget about your other kids. I'm not lying when I say there was a police called to the park. 

Max was crying in Robin's arms while her friends beat the monster in front of her to a pulp. Steve had tried to pull them off, but got a broken nose instead. To say that Hopper was mad at them would be an understatement. He was furious. Had talked to each and every one of them before letting them go with a warning. 

From that day forward they all made a silent agreement to watch Max carefully. They needed to protect the toughest girl they knew. They needed to protect Max the way Billy had. Maybe leaving the violent part out. They needed to protect their zoomer.


	2. Chapter 2

The party started paying more attention to Max. They noticed things they never noticed before. Like how Max would flinch when a door was slammed, or how she would cover her ears when people yelled or argued. How Max's blue eyes would fill up with tears when she and Mike fought.

Then there were some worse ones. How Max would flinch when someone raised their hand too fast, when they would hit someone. How she was terrified to go home. The worst of all is when Max would wince when someone grabbed her arms.

Something was definitely wrong. The tough girl they once knew was breaking. She was becoming vulnerable. No one likes it. None of them did. No one liked seeing fear in Max's eyes. It was so, what's the word? So different. So unusual.

***

"I bet your all wondering why I've gathered you here today."

"Yea."

"Wheres Max?"

"She got distracted but it's ok. We need to talk about her."

"Theres something going on."

"Yeah shitheads we know that!" Dustin rubbed at his forehead angrily.

"Maybe we should just talk to her!"

"That wouldn't work, she'd never listen."

"Whatever!"

"What are you guys yelling about?"

"MAX!" They all turned to look at her, an awkward smile on each of their faces. She looked at them like they were crazy.

"You guys are weird. Come on we're-"

"Max we need to talk."

She looked at Will then at the rest of the group to find out they were all looking at Will too.

"Will we sa-"

"What's up?"

Will walked up to her, a confident expression on his face, and held her hand. He flipped her arm over and pulled her sleeve up. Before Max could process what was happening, her arm was on full display. The redhead started to pain, pulling her arm back while screaming as Will to let her go. He did. She stumbled backwards, falling on her ass.

"Max-"

"Get away from me!" She stood up, brushing herself off, before grabbing her skateboard. She got on the board, about to skate away, when someone picked her up. "Put me down!"

Mike carried her back inside, the group following. He out her down on the av club chair. Lucas locked the door behind them. "Ha ha very funny. Let me go!"

"Max does Neil abuse you?"

"Let me go!"

"This will all be over once you answer the question Max."

"I need to get home!"

"Max please it's just one simple question."

She looked up to see her boyfriend with a worried look on his face. She then looked around the room to see similar looks on all her friends faces.

"Lucas-"

"Answer the question!" He smacked the table next to him, scaring the redhead.

"Yes! Okay yes."

"Told you."

"But it's fine! _I'm_ fine! Now I gotta get home, move."

"You're not going home."

"El please just-"

"No!"

"Okay you guys let's calm down a little."

"No Will you wanted to talk remember?! So let's talk."

"Fine! He's a horrible person and he abused children! What more do you want me to fucking say?!"

***

So Max didn't end up going home that day. El had called Hopper, who went to Max's house and arrested Neil. He also took Max out of Susan care. The redhead was placed in foster care for two days, when Dustin's mom decided to adopt her. She finally realized people cared about her, and stopped hiding her emotions from her friends. She would be okay, as long as she had them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was thinking of making this book maybe five to ten chapters long, what do you guys think?


End file.
